This invention relates to an instant, dehydrated puree of starchy material and to a process for its production.
It is known that the consumption of various starchy materials has a variable effect upon glycaemia (glucose content of the blood) and on insulinaemia (insulin content of the blood), according to their digestibility which is influenced, in particular, by their method of preparation and cooking and by the nature of their starch. It is known in particular that starch from the seeds of leguminous plants can show retarded, dietetically useful digestibility compared with starch from other starchy materials, such as cereals or potatoes, for example. However, it is also known that this desirable property of the starch from leguminous plant seeds may be lost depending on how they are prepared and cooked, particularly if they are ground before being cooked.
It is also known that a structured product may be made by preparing a puree or aqueous paste of fruits, vegetables and/or cereals, particularly potatoes, wheat or peas, by drying the puree on a drum, removing a film from the drum and stacking numerous layers of that film to form a laminate. However, this known process is designed to produce a potato laminate capable of replacing a dough based on wheat flour in culinary specialities, such as lasagne or patties, for example.
It is also known that instant, dehydrated potato purees or cereal gruels can be prepared in the form of flakes by drying on drums. However, this technology has not been extended to include the treatment of leguminous plants.
It is also known that an instant, dehydrated potato puree can be prepared in the form of granules by a drying process in which the puree to be dried is mixed with a recycled quantity of partly dried puree. However, this technology has not been extended to include the treatment of starchy materials other than potatoes.
Finally, it is known that instant, dehydrated whole seeds of leguminous plants can be produced by a process comprising the steps of soaking, cooking, impregnation with a calcium-complexing agent, freezing and drying. The instant property of the leguminous plant seeds thus prepared does appear to be obtained in this way, but the process is complicated.
In other words, the fact that processes for producing dehydrated purees in the form of flakes or granules have not really been extended to the treatment of seeds of leguminous plants would appear to indicate that they are not suitable for that application. This is confirmed by the fact that the known instant seeds of leguminous plants are presented in whole form. In addition, since the dietetically useful property of retarded digestibility of starch from the seeds of leguminous plants can be lost if an unsuitable method of preparation and cooking is selected, there appears nothing to commend the idea of preparing an instant, dehydrated puree of seeds of leguminous plants.